Ok. And here. We. Go!
Round 3 HERE I COME TO WRECK ERR SAVE THE DAY!
Folks may want to freshen up and read post 129 and a few of the follow-on posts for clarification on precisely what is going on.
@
pemerton and @
sheadunne Both of your Passive Arcanas are terrible so you know nothing of consequence with respect to the Feywild-specific components.
Sheadunne, your Passive Nature is sufficient for the Medium DC, so you can ask me one extra question about the flora or terrain or anything if you'd like. Your Passive Perception check is sufficient to see the malevolent, slightly glowing eyes of the Feygrove Choker Minions in the trees where the "M"s are. You can also see the ever so slight movement of the Feywild flora in the upper left where the Quicklings have emerged from and disappeared to. Pemerton, you witness their emergence and strafing back into it but lose them in the concealment and cover.
Pemerton, your Passive Religion is sufficient to know that this is a holy place to Sehanine. You and Lucann can infuse the waters of this place with Divine Radiance as a Standard Action with a successful Religion check against the Medium DC (20). How you will do that and what effect you would want would be up to you guys and we would p42 it.
Ok. On to the
Zones
If you look at the map, there is a gold square centered on G11. This is bad (a place of flitting, moaning black specters, whose voices chills you to the bone and freezes your body with lethergy:
Swarming Shadows: a zone until the end of the encounter. Any creature that starts its turn within the zone takes 5 cold damage and is slowed (save ends).
If you look at the map, there is a pink square centered on I14. This does not affect the good guys but is very, very bad for the bad guys ( @
LostSoul Remember, its a minor action for upkeep to sustain this each round and you can use the attack on all enemies in the zone as another minor action.):
Quinn can spend a minor action to attack enemies in the zone on his turn, pulling them 6 squares toward I14 and immobilizing them (save ends). Currently, both the Swarms and Dryad are immobilized there. This is not a visible, tangible effect like Swarming Shadows. It is an illusory effect that puts the object of the creatures' desires within (fake) grasp.
INITIATIVE ORDER
Q1 & Q2 - Quicklings
M - Minion Feygrove Chokers
C - Lucann
D - Dryad
T - Theron
S1 & S2 - Swarms
L - Quinn
P - Thurgon
Actions:
- Quicklings:
The Quicklings dart out of the knee/thigh high flora again, quick as lightning. The shadowy gloom back there makes their movements and the swaying of the plant-life all but beyond your human sight Quinn. As they emerge, the explode into action, again strafing Lucann. His elven eyes are far too keen and he easily tracks their movements and brings to bear his greatspear to parry their many daggers and needle-like fangs. However...one slides up the haft of his spear and he barely prevents the dagger from sinking into the flesh of his forearm. his faith is a tangible thing, manifesting in Divine warding that armors him, intercepting the blows. It may even be more potent in this holy place * . They disappear in the gloom and the foliage just as before but not before ** Lucann can bring to bear his weapon against them.
* Quick Cuts * 2 @ rolls 12 and 17 + 13 apiece (25, 30) versus AC 30; 1 hits for 9 damage.
** @
Campbell I need two OAs versus AC 29 please.
- Minion Feygrove Chokers
A set of malevolent red eyes faintly poke out of the tree near Theron and Thurgon and the one near Lucann. Lucann's Armor of Faith is resolute and bulwarks him against the assault *. As Theren lands and sets his feet to explode into battle, a grotesquely long arm with a huge thick hand (covered in porcupine spikes) explodes out of the thicket, ** grasps Theron in its angry hold and attempts to reel him toward the awful bramblethorn...perhaps to feed *.
* Choking Tentacle on Lucann @ roll 12 + 17 (29!) vs AC 30; miss.
** Choking Tentacle on Theron @ roll 13 + 17 (30) vs AC 29; hit @ 5 damage, and the choker grabs the target (escape DC 24) and pulls it up to 3 squares. Until the grab ends, the target takes ongoing 3 damage.)
@
sheadunne You take 8 total damage as your turn begins now. However, I need you to tell me what you want to do. You can accept the 5 damage from the Bramblethorn and be pulled into the thicket adjacent to the Choker (who is on a branch about 7 feet up) or you can make a saving throw (d20 vs DC 10) to fall prone, still in its grasp, just outside the thicket (and no BT damage). Let me know but it is your turn with your full suite of actions (Free > Minor > Move > Standard in whatever order). If you are unfamiliar with the Grab (Grapple) rules, you are immobilized (either in S10 and in Difficult Terrain directly below the Choker or where you currently are if you want to attempt a ST + prone). To Escape, you spend a Move Action and you can make an Athletics check DC 24 to break the grab and shift 1 square.
Let me know. Its your turn after the Dryad.
- Lucann:
See post 157 directly above for Lucann's action. The 27 passes the negotiated Medium DC for the HS worth damage. The Skill Challenge is now at 5:2. The Dryad's redemption, Lucann's requited love, and the grace of Sehanine's embrace is riding on this next check (that is, if Thurgon doesn't administer his own justice!)
-
Dryad (these actions still stand):
The creature is tormented by an avalanche of dispirate emotions. A large part of it clearly wants to accept Lucann's true offer...wants to turn back from the whispering shadows of its mind and its blinding hate. But it can't. Not at this point. Too much has already been done. She knows in what is left of her heart that Sehanine wouldn't accept her and Lucann would ultimately hate her for all that she has destroyed. Or would they? Would Sehanine take her back? Would Lucann truly forgive her for all of the terrible, evil she has done. Would that uncompromising Paladin ever let her live in peace after what she did to his order. They all must die but Lucann. Perhaps the two of them can leave this place forever, retreat to the Feywild, free from the Dragon who could have its city and keep its army. She would be at lasting peace. But everyone must die this day save for her love...
* Thorny Vines explode from her toward Quinn attempting to grasp him and pull him toward her and the swarms but luck (?) or perhaps Sehanine's grace with his noble attempt to revert this once beautiful creature (?) intervenes. Quinn doesn't believe in luck and certainly doesn't believe in the grace of the gods (right?). Whatever the cause, the flailing tendrils run wide of their target.
The Vines mean nothing as she flails wildly, ** now screaming with anguished ire, she *** calls forth the shadowed whispers of her patron but the dark claws even fail to animate at the feet of Quinn this time! She lets out a primal scream in her perception of this new betrayal by the patron she has served so stoutly. It is a spine-shivering scream that is sure to terrorize all of the children in the kingdom for the rest of their lives.
Worse still for the dryad, **** Quinn's illusion-wrought promise of Sehanine's renewed embrace does not give up its hold upon her.
* Natural 1...Good thing too...wow, that would have been a death sentence...difficult terrain and 3 auto-damage auras...good night
.
** She is just barely
bloodied. *** Shadow Claws @ roll 2 (!) + 14 (16) vs Fort 24); miss.
**** Saving throw to end Immobilized (Visions of Avarice) @ roll 3 + 2 = 5 vs DC 10; failure.
Wow. Rolled a 1, a 2, and a 3. I think Quinn needs to rethink this whole nihilism thing.
@
sheadunne Theron is up. Please resolve the above, let me know and then resolve your round of actions.
